With two quarterbacks making big money in the offseason, it seems only appropriate that Rodgers gets paid.

Not only should he get paid, he should also be the highest-paid quarterback in the history of the NFL.

People will criticize the big contracts for Romo and Flacco, but the truth is that the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboysneeded these guys. In today’s age, the passing game is more important than anything, and the QB is at the center of this. Teams would much rather overpay a solid quarterback rather than dishing out less money on a mediocre one.

When it comes to Rodgers, he is more than mediocre.

The career numbers for Rodgers say it all. He has 171 touchdowns, 46 interceptions and 21,661 yards. His career passer rating of 104.9 and completion percentage of 65.7 percent are the highest marks in the history of the NFL. He’s also a Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP and regular-season MVP.

The awards and stats say a lot, but contracts are about what the team expects from the player in the future.

Luckily for the Green Bay Packers, things are looking up for the first-round pick out of California.

Rodgers still has a lot of football left in him. He’s only 29 years old, and certainly has more than a few seasons left in him. In fact, 28-30 tends to be the prime age of a lot of quarterbacks’ careers.

If you don’t believe that, here are some numbers.

From 2004 to 2006, when he was around 28-30, Peyton Manning had a passer rating of over 100 in all three seasons. He also threw for 49 touchdowns in the 2004 year, breaking the previous record for touchdowns in a season.

When Tom Brady was 30, he threw for 50 touchdowns and arguably had one of the best seasons by a quarterback in the NFL. He led his team to a 16-0 record in 2007, only to lose in the Super Bowl.

Although Drew Brees has been sensational since, he really hit his stride around 2008, when he was 29. He threw for 5,069 yards and 34 touchdowns. In 2009, he came back to throw or 4,388 yards, 34 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions.

These elite quarterbacks show that Rodgers will likely be at the top of his game for the next few years. He has the opportunity to clearly be the best quarterback in the NFL, and he deserves a contract that shows that.

Rodgers is clearly worth the cap hit. He’s done enough to prove that he should be the league’s highest-paid player, and that is becoming an even more real possibility. According to Ian Rapoport, the two sides are close to a deal:

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet

#Packers and QB Aaron Rodgers appear to be roughly $2 million per year apart on a contract extension, per sources. Making real progress.